Today was an incredible day. Spent in the presence of Ke Akua. Reminders about love. Forgiveness. Humility. Being thankful for the abundance of blessings taken for granted everyday. It isn't about stopping to smell the roses. It is about fully understanding the beautiful complexity of the rose in all its true simple essence. And loving the rose with all your heart. And treasuring the simple joys in life. A sloppy tickling kiss on the cheek. All the love in the world for the asking. Wow. I am again humbled. Mahalo no e na kupuna. Mahalo no e Ke Akua...

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Here Koa shows me what he will look like as an undercover police officer. I told him that the cut-off jeans jacket was a nice touch but the fake dreadlocks and the police patch are a dead giveaway. As well as the dimples...

Elliott holds up his HEX Bug Micro Robotic creature. This one is the ant. Koa has a tiny Nano robot bug. They scurry around and keep on moving when they hit an object or wall. They are fast. They are robotic-ally creepy. I get the urge to stomp on them but the boys would cry. Elliott is normally afraid of bugs but these guys are kind of cute. Still, when they come barreling towards you on the floor, you get the urge to scream and jump out of the way...

I absolutely love eating dried aku (skipjack tuna) with poi and sharing it with my boys. We sit down and eat the fish and poi. Just like our ancestors did a thousand years ago. Awesome. I can feel their presence around us. Watching. Smiling. Drooling...

Sunday, November 22, 2009

I try to always put myself in my sons' view of the world to remember what it was like being a child. So that I can ensure that I don't impose my own adult expectations on them too much. Here, I take a close up look at what Koa is looking at outside a window...

So students from all over work together in teams at their respective school to design and build a LEGO Robot to accomplish a series of tasks. They have to program the actions and then automate the robot to navigate an obstacle course and accomplish certain missions for points. This is my first experience of this program via Elliott's participation. It turned out to be a wonderful experience. I volunteered to help out and ended up a Teamwork Judge for the competition. I am glad I did. Here some students from Mililani warm up on the practice table...

It is the time of year when a beam of Sunlight at around 10:00 a.m. shoots through my little bathroom window and lights up a little portion of the cascade of water during my shower. With a shutter speed of 8000, I can capture the little droplets of light while the background turns dark. I have discovered the tiny little parallel universe in my shower with sunrises, rainbows and all...

Elliott and his classmates ready for their presentation during the First Lego League competition at Kalani High School. Elliott was supposed to be from Japan to talk about bicycles in that country. There is a new parking system for bikes. It is a massive underground silo that can hold over a thousand bikes. You just ride up and it automatically takes your bike and stores it underground. When you are done, you swipe your card and it retrieves your bike with automated robot machinery within 30 seconds. Very cool...

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About Me

This Blog is ultimately for my boys. Lessons I've learned which I would like to share with them, but never seem to find the time. It reaffirms my beliefs and helps me sort out my own cluttered thoughts as I try to make sense of my life. Guided by Ke Akua (God) and my kupuna (ancestors), my Hawaiian identity provides me the framework. It is inspired by many people and loved ones in my life as I increasingly let my spirit interact with the spirits of others. Some I've known my whole life. Some I've met only recently. Some whom I will meet someday. Everyone is so truly beautiful. Life is incredibly beautiful. Love is definitely where it is at...